No contest plea for Freeport teacher

FREEPORT — The Freeport Middle School teacher who was charged with terrorizing in February after making a violent gun remark in front of his class, pleaded no contest in Cumberland County Unified Court, Monday.

David Mason, 59, of Yarmouth, pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor after being issued a summons for the charge in February.

The complaint alleges Mason made a threatening comment in front of his seventh-grade class about firing an assault rifle from the roof of the school while people were present.

“It was a stupid thing to say and wasn’t meant to do harm,” said Mason’s attorney, John Richardson, Tuesday. “He did it to get their attention.”

Mason will have the charges dismissed if he is not involved in any criminal activity for 60 days, said Tamara Getchell, business and communications director for the Cumberland County district attorney’s office.

The terrorizing charge is a Class D misdemeanor and can carry a maximum year in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.

Mason, who has been teaching for 30 years, has not returned to teaching since the incident. He was placed on paid leave initially and more recently has been writing curriculum out of the district office, Richardson said.

Barring a conviction, Mason has no legal barriers keeping him from teaching in the future, Richardson said.